


Through Time

by Tien



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-25
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 06:53:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/897188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tien/pseuds/Tien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oh man I don't want to spoil much in the summary, but I guess my tags sorta spoil it anyways.<br/>This is a time travel story featuring Jake and Dirk.<br/>This is all I'll say...for now.</p><p>This fic officially shelved. I will not be working on it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChibiEdo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiEdo/gifts).



> This story is a collaborative effort between me and two other people. There will be three different versions of this story, each one done by a different person. I will link to the stories as they come out.
> 
> This is also dedicated to my boyfriend, ChibiEdo, because without you, this story never would have gotten off the ground.

Like a celestial river, time flows. Pouring over the stars for all eternity a heavenly river never changes, never meanders, and never ceases to bubble up and gurgle on its path. Time is the same. Once started it cannot stop and it cannot disappear. There are no ways to stop time once it’s started, and like a rivers mighty force, it cannot be reversed. A drop of water cannot traverse upstream against the currents, just like a second, once past, cannot go back and relive itself.

\---

“Are you sure this blasted old scrap heap will move?”

“Wow Jake, your confidence in me is inspiring,” a voice answered from beneath a large contraption. “And it doesn’t move, not physically at least.” He slid out from under it, blond hair dirty with grime and rust. “It’s a time machine Jake, not the Tardis.”

“The Tardis is a time machine.”

“It’s also a spaceship.”

“And bigger on the inside.” The boy’s friend laughed and grabbed a wrench. “So if you’re the Doctor do I get to be Amy?”

“Hm?”

Jake knelt down, “You know, the Doctor’s traveling companions. Do I get to be your Amy?” Jake couldn’t tell, but his words caused a faint blush to spread across the other boy’s face. “So, what happens if you boot it up and in the past there was a river here or something?”

“I honestly have no clue,” came the reply from beneath the metal. “I hope you can swim.”

“Dirk!” All he got was a chuckle as an answer. “You are not making a gentlemen feel very safe.”

“I’ll have to remember that if I invite any gentlemen along,” Dirk slid out from the machine again and looked into pouty green eyes. “Come on Jake, you know I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you.” He got up and made his way over to a side table. There spread across the surface was sheets and sheets of paper. “I’m not even sure if these notes are correct. The calculations are decades old. Some of this shit is so faded and smeared I had to guess.”

Jake walked over to where Dirk was flipping through paper, “Di Strider? Who’s that?”

“I thought I told you, he was a relative of mine, from a long time ago. Apparently the instructions for this machine were locked in a safe in the old family home. Instead of tossing them I expressed interest. He has so many notes, it’s crazy. There are all types of things in here, flying machines, improved cotton weaves, and even some engines. The guy was a genius, I wish I could have met him.”

His friend took the worn down leather bound book and flopped down on a dusty couch. “Some of this stuff is really cool. Wow! Dirk did you see the section on guns and weapons? Holy moly this is some neat stuff. Dirk he made prototypes for a double barrel rotating pistol. And look at this long clip design, oh man this has to be before clips were widely used in pistol manufacturing.” He paused flipping through more of the book’s antique pages, “I wonder what caused the shift?”

“What do you mean?” Dirk inquired from inside the machine this time.

“Well, if you look at the previous inventions they are all mechanical or practical, then bam! There are all these gun designs and models.”

Dirk shrugged, “Maybe he hadth a new inthpirathion or thomething.”

“What was that buddy?”

“Sorry I had a wrench in mouth, I said, ‘maybe he had a new inspiration or something. Wasn’t there a war or something back then? A civil one? Damn I should have paid more attention in history class.”

Jake shook his head, “I dunno, I don’t remember any, maybe it was remnants of emotion from the First World War? That could be. I sure know that’s one adventure I’d never want to live through.” He flipped through the rest of the pages, glancing at anything that caught his fancy. There were models for so many things, some of them quite bizarre and some for things Jake didn’t even think they had a grasp on. “Dirk there’s something in here for a portable music player? Are you sure you didn’t make this up to mess with me? I’ll have you know my brain is sharp as a knife and can cut through your tomfoolery like butter!”

Turning back to Jake he answered, “No, see that’s the really bizarre thing. Some of these look like prototypes for iPods and combustion engines that had nowhere near the complexity available back then. Sometimes even I doubt the authenticity of these…”

“But who would go through the trouble of making all these just to screw with you?”

“There’s no way Dave or Bro would give this much of a shit. I’m sure these are real. And if they aren’t’, then I guess I just built a really cool lawn ornament.”

“Well it is instructions for a time machine. What if your relative actually succeeded?” The excitement rose in his voice, “What if this is really going to work? Oh gosh Strider, think of the possibilities! Maybe your dear departed relative Mr. Di managed to get into our time period! And he brought back these drawings?”

“Jake let’s slow down and work on finishing this first.”

The other boy nodded and took a deep breath, “So what’s next?”

“I’m installing the control panel now; I made some tweaks to it, because these notes are really old.” He took a screwdriver and tightened a few loose screws. “Next we have to work on the power source. The notes say to use electricity, but it needs so much. I’m not sure how it’s even possible.”

“You’ll have to get some plutonium,” Jake laughed. “Or run a bolt of lightning to it, too bad we don’t have a historic clock tower that got struck by lightning.”

“Do you have a movie reference for everything?”

“You’re making a time machine, how could I not reference “Back to the Future”? Great Scott Dirk!” Laughing Jake grabbed a different type of screwdriver for Dirk, “Maybe we should look into another power source though, have you talked to Roxy yet? She might have some ideas.”

“No not yet. She’s so busy with school right now I don’t even want to think her name. The last thing she needs is me stressing her out over a problem for a hypothetical machine. And Roxy will stress about it. There are no doubts about that. She can’t leave any challenge unfinished.”

“Haha, yeah that’s true, I shouldn’t have suggested it.” Jake moved over to allow Dirk more room, “So what would happen if we zap ourselves into another time period and we can’t get back?”

“Well first off, that would suck. Second, we’d have to live there I guess. Let’s pick a good travel point.”

“What if we go three hours into the past to start with? That way if we mess up we’ll still be in the same decade at least.”

Dirk thought about it, “Yeah that could work. I’m worried about one thing though, I’m concerned about time loops and making reality unstable.”

“You mean like in that short story where a bunch of people go back in time to hunt extinct creatures and that one dude steps off the floating path deal-y and kills a butterfly and screws up the whole reality?”

“Yeah something like that. There’s no guarantee that when we return to our present time the history wouldn’t have changed.”

“Or we could make a bunch of new timelines and just fuck theirs up.”

Dirk nodded, “That could happen too. I have no idea which one it’s going to be though. Not now, we don’t have any data.”

Jake leaned against the wall of the machine, “Perhaps we could try going ten minutes back and only doing one thing? Like spray paint the wall, then go back to the moment just after we left and see if anything happened?”

“Yes, good idea, if there’s no paint on the wall then that means we created a new timeline, it will also mean our actions don’t mess with the future we have presently.” Dirk stepped back and admired his work. “I think it’s done, we’ll need to test it tomorrow and run some checks, but I think all the mechanical work is done.”

“Oh man, really? This is going to be so friggen awesome. Dirk, if this works we should tell somebody. You’ll get national recognition!”

Dirk disagreed and started putting away tools, “I don’t think we should tell anyone Jake. Humans aren’t pure souls like you seem dead set on believing. Somehow this little invention of mine would end up causing the world great harm. This stays between you and me.”

Jake knew he was right. There was no way someone wouldn’t try to use this for world take over or to change the course of events for personal reasons. “I suppose you’re correct. I wish you weren’t though. Think of the grants you could receive for research.”

“I know, believe me I know.” The two boys were in a small shed outside Dirk’s house. Pulling back the curtain from the window revealed that it was now quite dark. Jake was never bothered by the lack of real lighting whenever he was with Dirk, he knew the older boy had sensitive eyes and needed constant shielding. It was one of the reasons he wore those ridiculous shades and kept the blinds drawn in every room. “We should get something to eat, it’s late.”

Together they left the newly completed machine and ordered pizza. They retreated to the roof of the shed to eat. “Hey Dirk?” Jake asked while demolishing a piping hot slice of pizza. “If this thing works, what do you want to do?”

Dirk leaned back and stared up at the stars. The roof was a great place to relax after a hard day’s work. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “Time is something that shouldn’t be messed with you know? It has a lot of responsibilities. I think…I think I just want to prove it works. Nothing more.”

“That would be nice. But you know, if you ever change your mind…I think Pharaoh Dirk sounds pretty nice.”

“Jake!” Dirk elbowed him. “We can’t take over the world or be millionaires. We shouldn’t make ourselves kings or leaders of any sort. It wouldn’t be right.”

“But it would be fun,” Jake commented. “Think of the adventure Dirk!” He fell back too, green eyes shining in the dim light. “I’d sure like to spend forever adventuring through time with you. That would be an alright future, I think.”

“Jake? What do you mean?” Dirk asked sitting up a bit. He could tell his friend had suddenly become flustered.

“You know, two friends traveling time, it would be great.” Jake covered quickly, “Who wouldn’t want that?” He watched the stars and the inky black clouds, “Tomorrow is going to be a big day, I can tell.”

“Yeah, it will change our lives forever,” Dirk chuckled, “Or not, you never know, the damn thing might not even turn on.”

Jake was about to disagree when something flashed through his mind, “Shit, Dirk, I can’t be there to test it tomorrow!”

“Oh fuck, I might not either, now that you mention it. I forgot Bro set up a meeting with me for lunch. I have to go across town; I’m supposed to get on the subway at like eleven. What do you have to do?”

“A dinner party with the Egbert’s, I completely forgot I agreed to visit them with my Grandma. Shoot. I was really looking forward to testing that machine tomorrow.”

Dirk was quick to reassure, “Don’t worry, we can always try it the day after. It’s not like we’re going anywhere.”

“Yet!” Jake added. “We’re not going anywhere yet. But soon we’ll go where no one has gone before.” The moon seemed suddenly closer than Jake ever imagined. “Dirk, when we’re done with this, we should go to the moon. Think you can build a rocket?”

“I did just make a time machine, I’m sure I could manage a rocket.”

Jake nodded, “Hey Dirk…”

“Yeah buddy?”

“Can you promise me you won’t go somewhere I can’t follow?”

“I, yeah Jake of course.” Dirk sat back up and looked over at Jake. “What brought this on?”

“Sometimes, when I think of all the great stuff you can do…I feel like you’re moving too darn fast. And you’ll go somewhere I can’t. So don’t do that, please.”

“Jake…I won’t. I promise I will not go somewhere you can’t.”

\---

Time flows steady and constant, washing away the present with the tides of tomorrow. Sometimes the gentle waves feel more like a crushing flood.

\---

“Yeah Bro, dude don’t worry I won’t be late. No, we did not fuck last night, jesus you’re a creepy fucker sometimes. Yeah, yeah I know. Fuck that shit, you hang out with those puppets too much. Hahaha, yeah man I’ll be there in a half hour. Yeah, the 11:45 train, Central Station. You got it. See you soon. Hey Bro? Thanks. You know for everything. Sorry I was such a little shit growing up. Yeah, I’ll hang up now; don’t want you drowning in sudden fatherly feelings.”

“Dirk, before you go, you were a great kid, no one could be prouder.”

He hung up and looked at the stations clock; he still had a few minutes before the train was scheduled to arrive. Something was bugging him, way back in the recesses of his mind. “Why did I say all that crap to Bro? That’s not like me. It’s not like that couldn’t have waited another half hour till I saw him in person…” The station was busy with people, all moving and talking and rushing on with their day.

There was a small stand set up on the outskirts of the platforms. It was selling stupid hipster like slogans on t-shirts like “never give up” or “stop and smell the roses”. Dirk had to chuckle at the “live each day like it was your last” shirt. It seemed to cause no end of amusement to the boy, now that he had a prototype for a time machine. “As long as it can be powered, no day will be your last.” He couldn’t wait to get back home and do the test run. He felt a bit guilty that he thought about sneaking out in the early morning hours and running the diagnostic tests without Jake, but he held himself back. Jake had been there from the start, he didn’t think it would fair to do one thing without Jake there beside him. Dirk chuckled to himself as he passed by a stand of mugs, one of which said “World’s Number One Dad” he seriously contemplated getting it for Bro as an ironic gift. “I know he doesn’t like me thinking of him as our father,” he thought to himself, “but that’s the role he played. And without him, I don’t think Dave or I would be where we are right now.”

He passed up buying anything and wandered back to the platform to wait for his train. A quick check of the clock confirmed that it should be here any second. Dirk slipped on his headphones and boarded the train when it arrived. There was a steady stream of bass and pounding notes to distract Dirk from the world that moved around him. It was a beautiful day, and from his window seat he watched the scenery pass by in a blur. Something seemed off today, but Dirk couldn’t quite place it. He raised his eyes to the sky and watched birds soar high above the ground.

They seemed so free up there. Sometimes he liked to imagine he was up there too, soaring with the white birds and leaving so much of stresses behind. “But life isn’t that easy,” he thought again, “the joy of living is defeating the struggles you face. I can’t just fly away, I can’t leave everything behind. Especially Jake, Bro, and Dave…I couldn’t.” Behind his shades he watched true freedom move further and further away with every down beat. “Maybe someday I’ll invent wings and fly.”

His eyes followed the birds and were suddenly confused. The ground was on the wrong side. Briefly his heart dropped and his breath caught in his chest. Then there was pain and screaming. He caught a glimpse of a wall heading straight for the window he was next to before being thrown across the train and hitting the opposite side. His headphones where knocked off and the piercing shrill of metal scraping together overtook his ears. Everything was blurry, there were people everywhere, but they weren’t where they were supposed to be, some were in the air, other tossed to the floor which was now the ceiling of the train.

Children were crying, adults screaming and even the train was screeching. Dirk tried to stand but the floor beneath him lurched again and he was tossed like a limp doll. His shades crunched as his face hit the wall of the train and he could feel something pierce his chest. Gasping he fell to the floor and put a hand to his chest. There was a metal shard penetrating through his body. “S-Shit,” he breathed and cringed in pain. Blood was everywhere, dripping from the metal and the corners of his mouth. He could feel it, warm and sticky, pool underneath him. Through cracked shades he watched as more of his own life force leaked away. “N-No,” he choked on the blood gathering in the back of his throat. He coughed harshly sending a spray of red to the mangled seat next to him.

The train appeared to have stopped moving and people were beginning to move around and call for help. He overheard the swirling voices of a few people call for an ambulance and fire truck. There was a man that knelt down beside him and tried to ask him questions. Dirk was vaguely aware of what was going around. The man told him everything would be ok, and that help was arriving soon. But Dirk knew soon wasn’t soon enough. Weakly he dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. With blood covered hands he hit speed dial number two and left the phone against his head.

“Oh bollocks, you’ve reached the voice mailbox of Jake English! I’m sorry I’m not answering the phone right now; I’m probably on a grand adventure! However, if you leave your message after the beep I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!”

“Sorry Jake. I-“ His body convulsed and he dropped the phone. After throwing up more blood than he had ever seen Dirk knew this had to be the end. Everything was numb and didn’t hurt anymore. Dirk’s body seized one last time before his eyes glazed over and everything went dark.

\---

“Jake!” An excited voice called from across a yard. “Oh man it’s been ages!” Jake was then tackled by another boy slightly shorter than himself. “You live so close, why don’t you ever visit?”

“Haha, John, I don’t know. I’m busy, I guess that’s why.” Jake pulled the boy away and smiled, “Good to see you.”

“Same! Tonight is going to be awesome! My dad made a whole bunch of really awesome food! And Karkat’s already over. Did you know…” he paused and leaned in a bit closer, whispering, “Did you know Karkat and I are dating?” Jake shook his head, “We’re going to tell my dad tonight after dinner, I hope he takes it ok…”

Jake ruffled John’s hair, “Of course he will, it’s your dad, no one loves you more than that guy.” He gave a small laugh, “He tells you that every day, remember?”

“Haha, yeah, you’re right.”

“Anyways, congrats on Karkat, I’m sure you’ll be perfect for each other.” Jake was pretty relieved, he thought that fiery little albino kid would never confess.

John turned away, blushing slightly, “I…I think so too. So what about you and Diiiiirk?”

“Me and who now?”

“Oh man you and Strider! You have a crush on him, I know it. How else can you stand to spend so much time with him? When are you going to tell him?”

“We’re friends, John, that’s all.”

“Really? Karkat doesn’t seem to think so, and you know how crazy accurate he is with anything romance.”

Jake sighed and followed John into the house, “Well he’s wrong, it’s not like that. We’re just really close friends. That’s really it.”

“Is he in denial still?” A gruff voice called from the living room.

“Yeah,” John called back while walking into the room.

“Hey John, check this shit out. Look at the news.”

The TV displayed an emergency news bulletin. “Oh jeez,” Jake said eyes fixed on the screen. “That looks awful.”

“Isn’t that near your shitty apartment Jake?” Karkat asked turning up the volume.

“What happened?” John asked sitting down next to Karkat.

Karkat replied quickly, “About an hour ago a train de-railed, it was a noon departure heading towards downtown. So far the reports say there has only been one casualty and forty six injured. But the train lines will be backed up for a few days while repairs are being made clean up finished.”

“That’s horrible,” John said quietly, “At least only person was dead…I’d liked it if no one was hurt, but man, look at that wreck, it’s a miracle only one person died.”

“Yeah a friggen miracle,” Jake couldn’t tear his eyes away from the screen. Something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t place it. “What time was Dirk’s train…” he tried to remember in his thoughts, “I think he said eleven…yeah it was eleven. Good thing, I’d hate to have him caught up in that mess.”

Before any more time could be spent on the disaster John’s dad called them all in for their early dinner. “I still think your family is fucking crazy for eating dinner at one in the afternoon. Seriously who even does that?”

“One that makes enough desserts to eat for a million suppers combined,” John replied un-amused. “I wish we’d eat at a regular time and not have pounds of cake to rely on for consumption after three.”

Nervously Jake sat down at the large table and watched everyone else seat themselves. One leg bounced up and down as he fidgeted and shifted uneasily. “Jake are you alright?” John asked sitting beside him.

“Y-Yeah I’m fine. I’m just worried about Dirk.”

“You said his train was an eleven departure right?” Jake nodded, “He should be fine then, don’t worry. We don’t even know if that was the station he used. It’ll be fine.”

John’s words reassured Jake slightly, but not enough to completely put out his fears. They burned low in his gut and made the food tasteless. Finally he got up and excused himself from the table, “I need to go make a call. I’ll be back quickly.” He just had to know if Dirk was ok, he needed to know now. He went around the corner into the hallway and opened his phone, “one missed call” flashed on his phone’s screen. “It appears I missed a call from Dirk…” but before he could dial his voicemail he got an incoming call. This time it was from a number that rarely called.

“Bro?” Jake questioned, “Why would Bro call me?” He slid his finger across the screen to answer the call. “ ‘Ello, Jake here.”

There was a horrible pause before Bro responded on the other line, “Hi Jake, something happened.”

The fear that was just a burning ember suddenly flared up into a raging storm. “What happened?” There was more sickening silence on the other end. “Where…where’s Dirk? He was with you right?” He heard a muffled sob from the other end. “Bro?” Dirk had always said Striders don’t cry, but the man on the other end was crying.

Back in the dining room the others heard Jake scream. John was the first one up and sprinting around the corner. Jake was slumped against the wall crying and screaming, his phone clutched tight to his chest. John was at Jake’s side trying to calm him down and stop the wailing.

John’s dad quickly entered the hallway and reached for the phone that was still on. Jake gave it up and instead wrapped his arms around John and cried harder. “Hello?” John’s dad spoke into the phone.

“He’s lying!” Jake screamed, “He has to be lying. There’s just no way…” But Jake knew that it wasn’t a lie or a joke or sick prank. Striders don’t cry. John’s father moved outside to better hear the broken voice on the other end.

“Shhh Jake what happened?” John asked, rubbing his friends back.

“Dirk…D-Dirk…Dirk!” He screamed again.

Eventually John and Karkat were able to move Jake to the living room and sit him down on the couch. He was now silent. His breath was erratic but he stopped screaming. Tears streamed from his face and he couldn’t look any of his friends in the eye. John’s father returned and set the phone down on the table before speaking quietly, “Dirk Strider is no longer with us.”

“What? Dad…how?” John was shocked and confused.

Karkat immediately put a hand on Jake’s back, already sensing the shift in mood. Jake turned and leaned against the other male while John’s father told them what had happened. The words washed over Jake without having any true meaning. He had already heard it from Bro, he wish he didn’t hear it again. Nothing could stop the story from entering his head again, so he listened in a numb silence.

“Dirk was on that train when it derailed,” Dad said grimly.

“So then Dirk was the one death?” Karkat asked, as he resumed rubbing circles in the same place John had. He was concerned that the boy had gone still and silent. John’s dad nodded and Karkat swallowed dryly. “I think Jake’s in shock. He’s not moving.”

“Jake? Jake can you hear me?” John’s dad knelt down beside the couch and tried to get the boy’s attention. He watched as dead green eyes moved from staring at the couch fabric to his own face. “Jake I know it’s sudden…I’m sorry.”

In the end Jake’s grandmother ended up driving him back to his apartment. “Are you sure you’ll be alright Jake?” She asked worriedly as he got out of the car and stumbled up the stairs to his door.

“Fine,” he mumbled, “I’ll be fine.” Trembling hands unlocked the door and collapsed just inside. Somehow he managed to crawl into the shower and force more tears from his eyes before falling asleep from sheer exhaustion.

The funeral was two days later.

\---

When a river floods much is destroyed and so much is lost.  
Before healing the waters must recede.  
But sometimes the scars they leave will never disappear.

\---

Rain pounded the ground as the service proceeded. It seemed that the movie cliché of rain was present even in real life. However, it couldn’t do anything to hide the tears. Jake stood off to the side, a white rose between his fingers and tears cascading down his cheek. He didn’t cry out loud, instead he listened as words were said and the body lowered deep into the earth.

It was an open casket funeral, and before everyone shuffled into the rain Jake got one last look at his best friend. A better thing would have to avoid it. He looked almost alive; Dirk had always been deathly pale so the lack of color on his cheeks didn’t stand out at all. Instead it was the un-shaded closed eyes that bothered him the most. It was the idea that this would be the last time he would see his friend. The last time he’d look at that blond hair or porcelain skin. His eyes lingered over every part of Dirk’s face before he was finally gently pulled away.

The beat of the raindrops on various umbrellas almost seemed like the rhythmic bass notes that frequented the workshop where they hung out. Jake stole a glance at the other Striders. Like usual their shades hid their eyes, but they couldn’t cover the steady stream of tears flowing from underneath them. He had to look away. One by one people dropped their roses into the hole and left the grave site. Everyone but Bro, Dave, and Jake.

They stood and watched as earth was thrown over the top of the casket, and slowly Dirk Strider was covered up. The rain never ceased and seemed to have soaked them to their core. Jake fell to his knees and openly sobbed. Bro knelt down beside him and put a hand on his back. This was a man Jake had always seen as strong and unshakable. Quick with a sword and even quicker with a snarky comeback and way to put a smile on the younger Strider’s faces. But now his face was broken down and tired. Jake could see the deep dark rings from sleepless nights on the older man’s face. Dave was crying and had to walk away out of fear of breaking down and losing it.

“He was a good kid,” Bro said softly. “I don’t know if I ever told him how much I was proud of him. It was just…never our thing. I wish I had though.”

Jake choked on another sob before saying quietly, “He knew it. I know he did.”

Bro’s eyes never left the gravestone and the lines carved into it, “Dirk Strider December 3rd 1993 - April 13 2013 Brother, Friend, and Son, may his soul rest in peace.” Carefully Bro took off his own shades and hung them on the tombstone. “I should go find Dave,” He said while standing. “I’ll leave you alone; I know you two were close.”

Jake waited until there was only the sound of rain around him before speaking. “So, uh, hi Dirk. Golly I’m sure going to miss you.” He stopped to collect his thoughts and avoid crying. “I just…Dirk you were always there for me, you were always by my side…like I was for you,” he felt the tears threaten to leak again. “You, you promised you’d never go somewhere I couldn’t follow. You promised Dirk…You fucking promised!” He shouted and pounded the soft earth. “You said you wouldn’t leave me behind. You lied…”

The days that followed the funeral were tough on everybody. Dave didn’t go to class for a week, Bro called into work for five solid days and Jake didn’t leave his apartment since the funeral. Eventually his grandmother paid him a visit to make sure he was still alive. She was rather surprised when he opened the door, alive and well. Well, as alive as someone can be with hopeless eyes and an expressionless face. “Jake honey have you eaten?”

“Yes, grandma.”

She sat next to him and offered a comforting arm, “You know, when I was young like you, actually quite younger, my grandfather died. Like I am to you, he was to me. He was my only real family and parental figure. When he died I thought I lost everything.”

“Grandma I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Well that’s too damn bad Jake, we’re talking about this.”

Jake’s anger flared at his grandmother, “No, I really friggen don’t want to talk about Dirk, or death or anything. Just go.”

The boy got up and started walking towards his bedroom, “Do you think he would have wanted this?” She asked him before he could reach the door. “Do you think this is how he would have wanted you to remember him? A sulking, miserable, wreck who yells at his grandma?”

Jake froze, his hand resting on the door knob to his room, “N-No.”

“Exactly. The hardest part about death is that the living have to live on.” She looked down at the floor, her own green eyes seeing more memories than she could ever retell. “When you get to be as old as I am, you do a lot of living on when others can’t.”

Jake sighed and sat back down next to his grandmother. “I just miss him.”

She nodded, “Jake, think of it this way. He’s not really dead, because he lives in your memories and in your heart. As long as you’re alive Dirk Strider isn’t gone. Ever since you were boys you were always attached at the hip, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was floating next to you, trying to tell you to get up and smile. I know he made you proud, it’s time to return the favor.” Placing a firm hand on his shoulder and squeezing she got up and left the small apartment.

Alone, Jake was left alone with his thoughts once again. “Live a life he’d be proud of…” Jake murmured. “Live on because in life there are no do-overs…” Jake stared off into space and thought about everything he and Dirk had done together. “No do-overs…” He saw their first group science fair project, he watched Dirk get a new pair shades, and every single birthday party. He was there for their graduation, and the many camping trips he dragged Dirk on. Eventually he came to the more recent memories of late nights watching the stars and the machine they had both worked so hard on. “No do-overs…” Jake’s eye’s widened suddenly. “No do-overs!” He jumped up excitedly. “No bloody friggen do-overs! Not this time! Not this time!” He ran to grab his phone, boots and jacket before sprinting out the door and towards his friend’s house.

The door to the workshop was opened with such force it almost fell off its hinges. Jake threw the notes about the time machine in an old backpack that was lying on the couch before shoving a few bottles of water and a map in the bag as well. Inside he moved the dials on the control panel and set the date and time to April 13 at nine in the morning. “That should give me enough time…” Hurriedly Jake fired the engines and said a few silent prays before hitting the button to engage the machine.

\---

There are times where trout and other strong fish work their way up a swift river. They battle and climb through the waters, and sometimes they succeed and leave behind something new.

\---

The time machine was very loud, but very anticlimactic. It didn’t hurl the boy to the other side, it didn’t shake or rattle. It was just, loud. Jake pressed himself against the walls and held his head with his hands until the noise subsided and the machine stopped running. Hurriedly he pushed his way out of the door and froze.

“D-Dirk?” He asked hesitantly without even realizing it. Dirk wasn’t there, and now, he would never be. Because this obviously wasn’t their workshop, and it was certainly not the year 2013. Jake backed into the machine and blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes. “No, no, no, no, no, this isn’t happening, this isn’t right.” He stepped outside again and was greeted with the same features.

Row houses as far as he could see, chimneys billowing with black smoke and railcars moving up and down crowded streets filled with people all in dress he’d expect to see in a historical reenactment. “Oh bloody hell…what have I gotten myself into this time?” Thankfully the time machine had appeared in a back alley that seemed pretty deserted. No one was walking near the entrance either and the other side was a solid brick wall. Jake walked back inside and flipped the controls on again, they buzzed and flashed once before going dark. “No! Shoot, no you have to turn back on, come on…come on…” But no matter how many times he flipped the switch on nothing happened.

“This is impossible,” he muttered, but he knew it was not, in fact, impossible. This was one of the very possible possibilities that he and Dirk failed to have time to check. One of the many bugs they didn’t have a chance to discover. The truth of the matter, Jake realized with wide eyes and shaking legs. The truth of his situation was that he was trapped in an unknown time period. He was trapped, and also utterly alone.

He collapsed to the floor and gagged, the stress causing a very unsavory line of bile to rise in his throat. Instead of vomiting he opted for water and a quick moment of hyperventilation. Then he carefully stepped foot outside the time machine.

Streets were still flooded with bodies and the buzz of life was overwhelming. Jake had no clue where or when he was. Dirk had told him that the machine did not move in a physical sense, only through time, so he assumed this was where Dirk’s house was in the past. This tiny dirty alleyway was the past home of his friend. Or, he considered, the future place of his home…he couldn’t count out the possibility the future was a regression of his present. He laughed at how silly that seemed. Jake glanced at the machine, that he now noticed stood out like a flashing beacon of light in the darkness. Quickly he rushed back and pulled a moldy piece of cardboard off the ground and hurled it over the machine.

Jake watched as he succeeded to partially cover the device for about three seconds before the cardboard broke apart and slowly sagged to the ground. He turned around to see if anyone had noticed himself, or the machine, and was relieved to find that nobody was paying him any attention. Jakes focus was then put on hiding the machine once more, this time, without such haste. Jake found some scattered papers that were also rotting, and pulled some discarded and bent trash bins over to his machine. Carefully he constructed a large blind that would hide the machine for a few hours while he did recon.

There were so many people, that one thought couldn’t escape Jake’s mind. There were so many people, and so many unfamiliar faces and places, and sights, sounds and smells. It was like being in a foreign country, but he already spoke the language. Streetcars pulled themselves slowly up and down the road, while humans shoved their way past Jake. He didn’t even bother trying to ask the time, or let alone place, for fear of being called a loony. He had to take several breaks to catch his breath, not because he was running, but because of the smog that appeared to coat the town. The air pollution was astounding, and he found himself winded more easily than before.

In one blinding fit of coughing he stumbled into someone. “S-Sorry,” he wheezed and tried to move out of the way.

“No harm done,” said a calm and smooth voice. “Hey, are you quite alright? Sir?”

Jake froze. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He coughed again and refused to look up. There was no way he’d be hallucinating too, the labored breathing was enough.

“You don’t look fine,” the voice replied. “You reek of garbage, are you homeless?”

“I…No,” he had to look up now, he had to look up and watch as his perception of reality was shattered. “Dirk?”

The question came from a quivering voice and met disbelieving and confused ears. “Yes, that is my name stranger, how do you know this?”

“I…I…I found you,” he said quietly.

“Found me?” The stranger took a surprised step back when Jake embraced him. It was a spitting image of the Dirk he had lost. The same blond hair, white skin, and most recognizable of all, those blazing orange eyes. Everything matched his memory of Dirk.

“Yeah,” Jake choked out.

There amongst the hustle of the city two persons linked by fate met, if that is something to be believed in. One ignored the sounds of car horns and the shouts of an unfamiliar city, while the other stood in a confused shock at the bizarre person sobbing into his coat. Unknown to either of them, this was the moment that sparked a change so big it re-routed the river of time.


	2. Chapter 2

“I beg your pardon, but do I know you?”

Jake stepped back, finally coming to his senses. He looked up at the person he had just embraced. There was still a tear or two remaining on his face, which he hastily wiped away. “S-Sorry!” He apologized. “You just, look so very much like a dear friend of mine. I…I must be mistaken.” ‘Of course it’s not Dirk, Dirk’s dead you fool, this is just a random, cruel happenstance.’ “You, you probably think I’m crazy. Some random kid hugging you in public, spewing nonsense about a look alike friend.”

“A friend you say? One who shares my name, odd,” he also stepped back, but this time to examine the boy who stood in front of him. He was tall, whoever he was, with piercing green eyes and an interesting set of clothes. Those eyes spoke volumes and Dirk could read everything. “You’re not a loony, or,” he paused looking him over again, “at least I don’t think you are.” He held out a hand, “You really do look homeless though. Why don’t we walk for a bit, what’s your name.”

“E-English,” he stammered, “Jake English.”

“Well Mr. English, let’s have a little chat. You can tell me all about your friend who looks like me, but isn’t me.” Dirk could tell something was amiss with this boy. He caught every time Jake’s eyes moved and fell on a person walking down the street. Another interesting thing he noted was that Jake looked very unwell, almost like he was going to vomit. He was actually getting pretty concerned.

Jake backed up again, “Uh, no. No, I’m sorry, I should probably go, I don’t want to inconvenience you,” he replied. But in reality he didn’t feel comfortable being around someone who was so much like the friend he just lost. “I have a place to be, actually.” Jake didn’t know he had just started a mental game of poker.

Dirk eyed him suspiciously, then raised an eyebrow, “Well, where are you off to?” He saw through Jake’s bluff.

“Oh uh you know, around.” He backed up some more. The odds of Jake winning this game were not in his favor and he just placed his hand down.

Dirk smirked, and then he called it. “You don’t know where you are, do you?”

“I,” Jake protested, “I never said that!” Jake kept unwittingly raising the stakes while digging himself a hole.

“Where are you? Right now, what street?” Dirk stepped closer, “I’m not a fool English, there’s something about you. I can’t put my finger on it, but I’d love to find out.” He had a feeling he just went all in.

Jake could feel the situation slide from his hands, though he wasn’t even sure if it was ever in his hands to begin with. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Says the one who smells like last night’s garbage. Who, might I add, is the only one dressed in shorts and a…is that a skull? A skull shirt.” Dirk folded his arms confident he had played his cards correctly. “Well, in any case, if you have somewhere to be, I’ll just be going on my way then.”

He turned and started walking away, not slowly, but enough to let the idea sink in, the idea that Jake would be alone. He waited with baited breath, “And…” thought to himself. He heard Jake call his name one more time, “Jackpot.”

“Dirk wait!” Jake called out, a bit hastily.

“Yes?”

He sighed, “Uh, I…I don’t actually have a place I need to be at…”

“You don’t say?” Dirk turned around and locked eyes with the boy again. He could tell Jake was jumpy and probably still ready to bolt. But he could also see the uncertainty behind the rims of his glasses, and also a hint of fear. Something was bugging Jake and Dirk had to find out. “So,” he started smoothly, “you get kicked out or something?”

“K-Kicked out?”

“Yeah from your home,” Dirk continued, “you don’t look much older or younger than me, so you could still be living with your parents.” He winced, “Or uh, lived with them…”

“Do…do I really give off that aura?” Jake asked, examining himself more closely.

“Well, you’re panicked, obviously, confused, and looking for any form of comfort.”

“How do you figure the last one?” He asked, genuinely curious.

Dirk laughed quietly, “Well, you embraced the first person you found that had a slight resemblance to a friend you had,” he shrugged, “that leads me to believe that perhaps you were really desperate. You also cried. That’s not something a person with their life together would do.”

Jake thought long and hard about his answer. On one hand, he could lie, and say he was fine, just stressed or lost, or something. On the other, he could lie again, but not to such an extent, he could say he was thrown out and in desperate need of some help, some directions. “Yeah, you hit the nail on the head…I got thrown out not too long ago…”

“What did you do?”

“I…” Jake paused, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Dirk was silent again before he nudged the other boy gently, “You didn’t kill a man did you?”

“What?” Jake exclaimed, “No! For goodness sake no, it was for something completely different.”

Dirk waited a few moments before pressing further, “Different?”

“It was a personal dispute, between a friend of mine.”

“Was it this other Dirk fellow?”

Jake stopped dead in his tracks. “I-I…”

“You don’t have to say, I understand.”

“We were close, really close, and then, just stuff happened. It’s still sorta fresh; I don’t want to think about it.”

Dirk nodded sympathetically, “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know why people say that,” Jake said a bit harsher than he intended, “It’s not like you could have done anything to stop it, or anyone really.” He glanced back over at this other Dirk, “There, now you know my little story, thanks for listening, now could you please direct me to the nearest bridge or clean-ish alleyway? I’m a little low on funds and would appreciate a dryish place to sleep tonight.” He coughed again, which reminded Jake of the poor air quality.

“Whoa no way, you aren’t sleeping on the streets.”

“Well I don’t quite see a solution to my conundrum here.”

He laughed, “I have an open room, stay with me.”

“Don’t bleedin say that. I’m a stranger, I’m not going to just room with you.”

Dirk put a comforting hand on Jake’s shoulder, “Nonsense, I insist. You have nowhere to go, I have an open bedroom, it’s the least I could do.”

“Why? Why bother?” Jake wasn’t entirely trusting of this look alike.

Dirk almost said, “Because you’re interesting,” but instead opted for, “Because I’m the kindest jerk you’ll ever meet.”

“I don’t know how to take that,” Jake answered honestly.

“Then don’t take it, simple as that. I’m offering you a warm bed, a roof over your head, and a shower. For free. No obligation, you don’t even have to stay the whole night.”

Dirk watched as Jake shook his head, “The offer is nice and all, but…I don’t really think I should…”

“I don’t think I’ll be taking no for an answer, English.” He wanted to retract that statement but it was far too late. “Oh shit,” he thought, “That was a bit too aggressive, damn it Dirk think for a second before running your mouth.”

Jake eyed him, one eyebrow raised, “Wasn’t that a bit aggressive Sir?”

The arm was retracted from Jake’s shoulder, “Uh, yeah, wow.” “Smooth Dirk Strider, smooth,” his inner voice chimed in again. “Sorry I’m not good at the intricate social constructs of man.”

Despite the situation Jake couldn’t stop himself from giving a small smile. His brain nudged the small idea into his head. That idea was to stay with this new Strider. “My friend wasn’t too good with people either.”

“Seems like we have more than just a name in common,” Dirk laughed. “How about I start again?” Jake waited with an amused expression displayed. “Don’t mess this up Strider,” he thought again. “Hello, my name is Dirk Strider, nice to meet you.”

“Jake English, likewise,” he replied, even shaking the extended hand presented to him.

Dirk took hold and gave the other hand a comforting squeeze, “You seem in a rough spot, how would coffee sound? Or tea, if you’re a tea kind of guy.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that.” Dirk nodded and seemed pleased with how this interaction transpired. He hit up a small shop further downtown; it served decent coffee and pastries. It was owned by a friend of the family and generally had good service. His new acquaintance seemed impressed that the owners not only knew him by name, but also what he wanted to order and where he liked to be seated. “You a regular here or something?”

“Of course, best cup in town. My brother also knows the owner personally,” Dirk tried to pass it off as nothing. “Anyways, what are your plans? You’re homeless, have you thought about what you’re going to do?”

“Honestly, no,” Jake said bluntly. “I don’t even know where I am, this is a new city to me.”

Dirk found that hard to believe, but he’d heard crazier things. “You don’t even know the capital town? Fuck, that’s bad. You come here for a job opportunity or something?”

“Something like that, I guess.”

Dirk studied Jake once more; the boy had more mysteries than facts. His interest was gaining with each one. His dress, speech, and behavior seemed out of place. “Must be from the country right?”

“Oh yeah, that’s it. Country. Farmer.” Jake decided that that sounded pretty good. “Got me in a big heap o trouble back home, like I said earlier. Had to uh, get away…fast.” The coffee and cakes arrived shortly after they sat down. “Oh gosh, Mr. Strider I can’t pay for this…I’m as broke as well as…a homeless person.”

“It’s on me. Don’t worry,” he watched as Jake picked at the small cake. “Cake not your thing?”

“What? Oh, no, no it’s great. Thanks.”

Dirk rested his chin on his hand, “It’s not the most filling of meals, but it’ll do for now.”

“Hm? You’re acting like I’ll take you up on your offer of shelter.”

Dirk took a drink from his glass, he swallowed and looked away nonchalantly, “Of course you will. You have nowhere to go. Any sane person would be grasping at any offer they could find. Best not leave an opportunity to slip through their fingers.”

“Oh for frigs flipping sake! I’m a complete stranger to you, with no money to boot! I could be a swindler how would you know?”

Jake was going say more but stopped when he caught sight of Dirk’s eyes. They were the same intense orange, only now they seemed to burn straight through him. There was something about those eyes, about that stare that made Jake feel incredibly vulnerable. “Yeah I’m going to call bullshit on all those proposed claims. I can tell you aren’t the type to rip me off. I’m helping you because I fancy you,” he watched Jake cock another eyebrow and he raised one right back, “Fancy as in you are interesting to me. Slow it down there cowboy. The mind is a terribly fast thing; it’d be a shame if it jumped to an untrue conclusion too quickly.”

Dirk leaned back on his chair and waved a hand, “You are free to leave, I won’t stop you. However,” he dropped the chair back to the floor and sat forward, “you seem like an interesting guy English, and I happen to be in a charitable mood.”

“How do I know you’re not the swindler?”

“Haha, that’s a good question,” Dirk’s smirk was borderline predatory, “you’re smart.” He produced a pen and paper from a pocket and scribbled a few things down. “You’ll have to take it on faith, I can’t convince you I’m not a con man, same as you can’t convince me you’re not a dirty thief.” He placed the piece of paper down in front of Jake, “It’s a proposition, that’s all. I like interesting things, I quite enjoy puzzles, and you Mr. English, are quite the puzzle. This is my address, should you decide to take me up on my hospitality you can find me here. If not, well,” he pulled out a few bills and set them beside the note, “here’s enough for a change of clothes and dinner. I suggest sleeping alongside the garbage bins instead of inside them.”

And with that he was gone. Jake was left with a half-eaten cake and nearly full cup of coffee. He flagged down a waitress, a bright girl in a blue apron, “Hey, um, by chance what was the bill? I didn’t see my er…friend pay.”

She laughed, “Oh Dirk? He doesn’t need to pay, family tradition, Striders and their friends eat free.” Jake was aware that her eyes were now on him, “You don’t look like Dirk’s usual type. Interesting. What’s your name?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? ”

She shook her head, “Nothing stranger, it means nothing. Anyways, I have tables to clean; you have a good day Sir.”

Jake watched her leave, “W-Wait! We aren’t like that; I mean I just met him.”

“Just met him and he took you out for coffee? Now I’m really interested,” she said spinning back around. “The name is Jane, pleasure meeting you, stranger of Dirk’s.”

“Jake,” he said a bit awkwardly, “my name is Jake.”

“Well then, it was nice meeting you, Jake.”

Jane was about to turn and leave again when she was stopped once more by the young man at the table. “What do you know about that Dirk fellow?”

“What do you need to know?” She looked him up and down, noticing that he seemed a bit out of place compared to his surroundings. He had disheveled hair and the look of frantic panic. It was clear he was trying to hide it though, she looked closer, it was like he was trying to hide the fear of being alone. “I’ll entertain you for a moment.” She called to someone in the backroom, “Poppop can you tell dad I’m going on break?” Then she turned back to Jake, “So, what do you want to know?” She sat down in the seat that Dirk vacated. “Just know I won’t spill anything too personal, he’s a good friend of mine.”

Jake pulled on his shirt collar, “Oh well…er, I just met the guy right? And he offers up his house to me! Frig, I mean who does that? Seems sorta suspicious if you ask me.”

She nodded, “Well, Dirk’s an interesting character that’s for sure. But he’s a good guy, cold sure, but a good person. You must have caught his eye something fierce for him to do something like that. You sure you aren’t…”

“Aren’t?”

Jane looked at him like he was daft, “You know…” her voice dropped to a whisper, “playing for the other team?”

“What?!” Jake said a bit too loud, “Whoa nelly! I’m not…do I look?”

She watched Jake go through several layers of emotions from surprised to worried before she shook her head, “No, no. You’re fine; perhaps I’ve said a wee bit too much. But with Dirk sometimes…you know what? Yeah I’ve said too much. Forget this conversation transpired.”

“Uh, ok. You’re his friend right?” She nodded. “Well, is this guy for real? Is he trustworthy? Is this address he gave me even real?”

The paper was pushed in-front of Jane, she read over it quickly before answering, “Yes, that is where Dirk lives. He’s about as trustworthy as a person can get. Like I said, he’s a good guy. Dirk is antisocial so I’m surprised he offered this to you.” She also rested her head on her hand, “You must be an interesting character, in fact, I’m starting to become very interested in you. What could Dirk see in a homeless guy like yourself?”

“Do I really look homeless? Dirk said that too.” Jake’s scanned his appearance, “Apparently,” he thought, “I can look gay and homeless at the same time.”

She shrugged, “I’m good at observing people, you aren’t acting like someone with a solid base beneath them right now.” Jane looked him in the eye, “Well, am I wrong?”

“N-No, you’re right. So this Strider fellow isn’t a creep or anything?” Jane shook her head.

“What about you? I should get some for info for giving some.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair, “I got kicked out of my home, need a job, need a place to stay.”

Jane’s grinned a bit, she thought to herself, “Detective mode engaged.” “So, why’d your parents throw you out? You a trouble maker?”

“N-No, nothing like that. It was a fight over a friend. Silly right? Now I’m just trying to get my bearings.”

There was more that she wanted to know, much more. But she didn’t know how far to push her luck, instead she offered up, “Well I can’t help you out, but if Dirk extended a hand I suggest you take it. He doesn’t offer up charity like this often. At the very least, it’ll give you a dry night off the streets. Heard it’s supposed to storm tonight.” She stood up, “I gotta get back to work, I’ll see you around Jake.”

Jake was once again left alone at the table. He still had his half eaten cake; the only difference now was that his coffee was lukewarm instead of hot. Honestly, Jake didn’t know what to do. On one hand, Dirk seemed like a good man, on the other, there were the risks of staying with a complete stranger. The only other word that he had to go off of was that of another stranger. He stared at the address scribbled on the paper for a good long while, then at the money that accompanied it. His thoughts were a mess, but at the very least he decided to return the cash. It didn’t seem right that he could have so much without doing anything in return.

He took the address and asked a few people outside where the street was. Apparently Strider lived on the outskirts of the town and he was in for a long walk. Jake didn’t mind walking; it gave him the chance to take in the sights. He was definitely in the past, that much was sure. A quick glance at newsstand revealed the year to be 1921. “Damn,” he muttered to himself, “that’s quite a ways back…” Briefly he peaked in at the alleyway where he hid the time machine. It was still safely covered in garbage and unnoticeable.

The city itself was like Jake would imagine any other city of that era to look like. All the space was either paved over, cobblestoned over, or occupied by multistory brick houses. The streets were clogged with cars and the middle had lines for railcars to use. Every once in a while he passed by a horse and buggy rig. The sky was muddled with a haze of smoke and exhaust. Surprisingly the air wasn’t clearer; it was thicker, like too many people were all trying to breathe it at once. He would have thought that the air would be cleaner in the past, but it wasn’t.

There were more troubles for him to consider besides the air quality. He had to figure out how to get home. Jake didn’t build the time machine, not all of it. Dirk did most of the work since it was his ancestor's plans they were using. Jake helped out with a few things; he wasn’t at a complete loss when it came to this kind of thing. Dirk often sent him little projects to do in his spare time, most of them were tiny robots he hoped to assemble and enter in various high school science fairs. His friend was aiming to be a top engineer even before he started college. Dirk’s skills skyrocketed once he was in school and had access to more equipment. All his teachers were blown away at his mind and his creations. They said he’d be the new leader in human aiding robots; his inventions would change the world, and possibly save lives. Everyone he knew boasted about how much Dirk Strider had going for him, how bright his future would shine.

However…Jake thought darkly, now he won’t do any of that. His future was gone and Jake partially blamed himself. He botched the time machine rescue plan and now was stuck in the past with no way to get home. “I guess my future died too, didn’t it?” He asked himself. Before his mind could go any deeper he decided that he was going to try to repair the machine himself before getting too sad. It could be an easy fix; Jake hadn’t had the time to truly examine it. The answer could be simple. Or, on the other hand, it could be incredibly complex and he’d be stuck here forever.

But before he could even start considering the possibility of fixing the time machine he had to figure out what to do presently. He still didn’t have a place to stay, nor did he know anyone in this time. Getting a job would probably be impossible, and if the machine needed any repairs that the small arsenal of tools in the emergency bag couldn’t handle he’d be doomed. Not to mention the very real possibility of the machine being found and taken away. There was a lot that could go wrong, and it was a daunting task to think of everything while trying to find the Strider residence. So he decided to focus on one thing at a time.

Dirk lived in a sturdy looking brick house of about three stories. Jake was impressed, so impressed that he had to check the address three times before walking up to the door. He presumably lived in such a big place alone. Jake had no idea how he could afford it. The house wasn’t very wide, and shared the street with six other similarly styled houses. He knocked on the door and waited for a response. A few minutes of silence passed before he knocked again. The same reaction came from inside. Jake was feeling dejected and turned to sit on the step, “Perhaps Mr. Strider is out?” Though he clearly remembered Dirk telling him he could be found at the address. “He implied that he’d be there all day, but maybe I was mistaken?”

He got up and tried one more time, this time he noticed a small button by the door, there was a note that said “Press Button for Answer”. “Is this some sort of doorbell?” Hesitantly Jake pressed the small white button and waited for a response. He took a step back as the door opened and a chime sounded out throughout the house. An automated voice spoke through speakers, “Welcome, please step inside, Strider will be there shortly.”

Jake took a few steps inside the house, not quite sure what to expect. The entryway was standard for a house of its size and style. The first thing he saw was a stairway on the left that lead up to the second and third floors, and off to the right was a set of double doors that he assumed went to a family room or dining hall. Beside the stairwell was a hall that led straight back and disappeared through another set of double doors. “This guy must be loaded,” he thought to himself, the house seemed much too large for one person.

Jake’s patience was running thin as he stood in the doorway, there was still no answer. So he pushed the button again and resumed waiting. The same chimes could be heard through the rooms, however this time a voice spoke at the end of the ringing instead of at the start. “Excuse me Sir or Madame, but Master Strider will be with you shortly. Continued ringing of the front door will not produce a faster result.”

“Master? Well isn’t he full of himself?” He didn’t know what to think of the guy anymore. Dirk claimed Jake was mysterious, but Jake was beginning to believe he was the far more mysterious one. He gives random presumably hobos his address and money, then disappears without much explanation. The layers that Dirk probably had were vast; Jake didn’t even want to begin to try to unravel them. His thoughts picked up again, “Perhaps it would be best to distance myself from a character like that?”

But he still couldn’t shake the familiarity he felt around this man. He’d only been around Dirk for maybe an hour, possibly a bit longer, but he couldn’t stop thinking that it was natural. Dirk didn’t seem threatening, intimidating sure, but threatening? Jake wasn’t so sure anymore. Logically he should see him as a danger, but emotionally Jake couldn’t shake off the memories of his friend Dirk. It was probably their looks and even their voice; it lulled Jake into a false sense of security. He was pretty sure that in his distraught state anyone who resembled Dirk could make him feel safe. Which is exactly what appeared to have happed, seeing as how he was now standing in a strange house waiting for the even stranger owner.

Jake was about to tap the button for a third time before the light sound of feet could be heard coming from the stairwell. “Sorry to keep ya’ waiting like that.” Dirk appeared in sight and with a swift few movements was right in front of Jake. “I knew you’d come. I’m usually about ninety-seven percent correct when I judge people. Now, if you’d follow me I’ll show you to the guest room.”

“That’s erhm,” Jake stammered, “not exactly what I came here for.”

“Oh?” The gleam was back in Dirk’s eyes. Jake was proving to be interesting yet again and Dirk took the bait like a catfish to canned corn. “Then what are you here for English?”

The money that Dirk had given him previously was extended out in an open hand, “I can’t accept this.”

“Why not? It was a gift,” Dirk said calmly, he was quite interested in what Jake had to say.

“It doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t sit well with me to just take money without doing anything to earn it I guess. So here you go, I’d rather not have it.”

Unbeknownst to Jake he had just sprung a trap on himself. “I see…” Dirk lowered his gaze from Jake’s face to the money in his hand, “well in that case, you’ll be working for it then.”

“What?” Jake exclaimed.

Dirk smirked, “You did just get done saying that it didn’t feel right to just take the money, so you’ll be ok with working it off then? There should be no problems with that.”

“T-That’s not what I meant!” Jake protested. “I was just saying that I can’t-“

“Accept free money, well now it’s not free. You’ll stay with me and work it off. That’ll clear all debts then.”

Jake took a step back until he was against the door, “Debts? I have no debts with you. I’m giving back the money, right now, here take it.”

“What about the coffee and cakes? Is that not a thing you ate that I provided?”

Green eyes widened and Jake’s mind whirled, “I knew it,” he thought, “I knew he was no good!” “Ok that’s bullhonky and you know it!” At Dirk’s raised eyebrow Jake continued, “That meal was free, your little friend down at the café told me so!”

“Who? Jane? You met with her?” Dirk laughed, “Well then, looks like I can’t use that on you then.” 

Jake threw the money on the ground and turned to leave, “Yeah I met her, she said you were a decent guy, but it seems like you’re only out to entrap me.”

“En…shit wait hold up!” But Jake had already shut the door. “Well fuck.” Dirk opened the door but Jake was already across the street and running at a fair pace. “Going after him would probably end up in disaster…” Dirk shut the door and trudged up the stairs to the third floor. He pressed a small button near the rail, “Sawtooth, open the door to my bedroom.”

“Right away Sir,” an electronic voice responded.

Dirk fell face first on his bed and rolled over to stare at the ceiling. “Wow were my calculations off…” He held up a hand and watched his fingers flex and relax, “I was so certain that boy would be staying with me…” He brought his arm down and rested it on his forehead. “What is wrong with me? Why am I obsessing over him? This…this is obsession right?” Dirk rolled over to his side and saw thick, dark, clouds rolling in from the south. “He’s a stranger plain and simple…why is he in my thoughts like this? This is not normal, natural, or healthy.”

He couldn’t place it, but there something about that boy that he couldn’t let go. It wasn’t just his strange dress or behaviors, it was deeper than that. Somehow he felt like destiny was leading him to that other man. Dirk was never one to believe in a concept like destiny, he was much more fond of the provable, the fact. He believed that nothing happened unless you yourself made it happen, there was no cosmic force pulling the strings, you pulled your strings. It was easy to understand the world that way. Today threw that belief into turmoil.

There was no logic behind it, his newfound obsession with Jake. The smart, safe thing to do would be to forget about it. Leave it in the past where it belongs. But something was still nagging him in the back of his mind. Something told him not to drop it, and it wasn’t just the pretty face. He wasn’t so shallow.

Any opportunity he had to interact with that strange individual was now lost. For some reason his judgment was clouded, he hardly ever let his judgment become muddled. He should have taken a step back, thought of things in a more calculated manner. But he hadn’t, he foolishly tried to pursue a person like a lion pursued an antelope. Any sane person would have run, and apparently Jake was a sane person. The reason why he came on so strong wasn’t clear either. Dirk understood his shortcomings with other people, his brother had told him over and over again that he was an intimidating person and that he needs to work on that. He knew he takes things too fast and doesn’t see people as people. It was something he was painfully aware of. To him, people were nothing but equations to figure out and solve.

But humans weren’t mathematics, nor were they a hand of cards to be won. Dirk screwed up the moment he started weighing the odds for the outcomes, he lost the second he treated Jake English like another chemical equation. He messed up, plain and simple. And what he lost, it was more than a failed prototype or a couple bucks at a poker table. He lost the potential to unravel an individual, no; he was thinking of Jake like a problem again…what he really lost the opportunity to befriend a person who interested him on a deep and indescribable level. Obsession was something that Dirk did easily; however having that obsession be something of flesh and blood was rare.

It killed Dirk inside to know that he messed up.

“Fuck,” he groaned and sat up. “Might as well do something productive with this day,” he said to no one. He picked up a sword that was leaning against the wall and left his room. He walked down the hall and pushed through doors that led to an open room. The floors were all hardwood and polished to a shiny finish. Two of the four walls were lined floor to ceiling with mirrors while the other two where windowed. Dirk flung his shirt to the side and began stretching.

His mind loosened with his muscles and cleared with every breath he took. He then picked up his sword and slowly brought it from behind him to the front. He would take small steps forward while bringing the blade down and then he pivoted to the right, the blade following the flow of his movements. The art of swordplay had been an interest with Strider since he was a child. His older brother indulged him in this hobby and even practiced with him. It was always something he could fall back on if he had a hard day. Bringing that sword down in powerful strokes was like meditation. During most parts of his day his brain was always moving, always thinking, but practicing his swordsmanship took that away. He could set himself on autopilot and let the world move around him. None of his other hobbies had such an effect on him.

Dirk often lost himself while practicing; he could be up in that studio for hours. What usually broke him out of his movements were shifts in his environment that crept up on him. Most notably was the lack of light that occurred when the sun went down. This time it was sudden contrast of lightning against the darkened room. “Wow…it’s pouring out there…” He walked to one of the windows and looked out at the city. Rain was coming down in sheets and it obscured his vision. He could see trees across the way thrashing about in the wind. Dirk could feel the hairs on his arm stand; he shivered and walked back to his room.

Another flash of lightning lit up the room and Dirk had a sudden realization as he set his sword against the wall. He remembered the reason he needed such an intense training session. “Jake…” He went back to the window and stared out at the thunderous storm. He hadn’t accepted the money, and Dirk knew he had no place to stay, which left only option. “He’s out there somewhere…” Dirk went to his wardrobe and pulled out a jacket and practically ran for the door. He paused to grab an umbrella and pressed another white button by the door, “Sawtooth, lock the place up. Standard security, passcode set to one.”

Then he stepped out into the storm, his only intent was finding Jake.

\---

With burning lungs and an overbeating heart Jake finally slowed to a walk, then braced himself against a building to catch his breath. “I don’t understand why I ran,” he thought. “I wasn’t in any real danger and I didn’t even give Strider a chance to explain himself. I just stormed off like an entitled child.”

Part of him felt like going back, but the other part resisted. He figured it would be better to distance himself from someone like that anyway. This Strider seemed too emotionally manipulative, and with his weakened state of mind he could be easily taken advantage of. Jake decided that he should first return to the time machine and see if he could figure out what was wrong with it. A glance to the sky revealed that it was nearing the end of the day and he still had to walk across town.

It was dark when he did manage to find the alley that hid the machine. Even worse, it had started raining while he was searching. Now he was soaked through to the bone, cold, and starting to get hungry. “Well this was a great start,” he grumbled and started tearing off bits of piled up garbage from the machine. Jake decided to make a sort of garbage wall in front of the time machine to hide it from public eye and make it easier to access.

When he finally crawled inside he was shivering and upset. With the door shut everything was dark; there was just the sound of rain pounding against steel. He rummaged around for his bag and pulled out his cell. When he flipped it open the bright screen illuminated a small area of darkness. The battery was hanging in at ninety-eight percent charged and it picked up no trace of service. Jake decided to turn off the Wi-Fi settings and change the rest to emergency mode before shutting it down. No sense in wasting its limited battery life.

Now it was dark again. He could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. “They weren’t kidding when they said it would storm tonight.” Jake curled in tighter and tried to stop shivering. His clothes were soaked, and he didn’t have any extra, now he was regretting not using the money that Strider gave him for an extra jacket. It was spring, sure, but it was nowhere near being warm. “Frig! What I wouldn’t do for a fire or something…” A few drops of water slid slowly down his back causing the hair on his arms to rise, “Why’s it have to be so gosh darn cold? Couldn’t this adventure have happened in June and not in the middle of fucking April?”

Jake almost jumped out of his skin when another loud boom sounded out across the sky. The flashes were hidden but the sound wasn’t. He wasn’t scared of storms; in fact most times the opposite was true. Jake liked the rain and he loved storms, usually it calmed him down. But this storm didn’t have any such effects. Instead it just made him shiver and jump at every noise. He placed his face firmly against his knees and tried to focus on breathing. The corner he was curled up in was getting slightly warmer and he could feel a bit of life come back to his hands. Whatever was wrong with the time machine would have to wait until the morning. There was no way Jake would be able to fix anything in his condition. Sleep and not dying were his only priorities at the moment.

The sound of the rain almost drowned out the voice of someone calling his name. Jake sat up a bit when he heard what he thought was his name. There was silence and more pounding rain before he heard it again. Someone was definitely out there calling for a Jake. He didn’t know if he was that Jake or not. Seemed unlikely since the only two people in this time were that nice lady at the coffee shop and… “Oh.” Jake whispered on the realization of who was out there yelling his name.

Jake hesitated in answering. It was back to weighing options on his hands again. He could go with this Dirk fellow and have a warm bed tonight, or he could take his chances alone and risk hypothermia. The voice was getting further and further away. Finally Jake acted. He grabbed his bag and opened the door stepping out into the pouring rain. “Dirk!” He called once he was out on the street. “Dirk?” He said again, though to his dismay the other man seemed to be gone. His damp clothes were now soaked through once more and he felt utterly hopeless.

In the freezing rain he stood, clutching his bag to his chest and regretting more than he had ever before. He regretted turning Strider’s generosity down, he regretted giving back the money, he regretted passing up shelter during the rain, he regretted letting go of his Dirk’s hand, he regretted getting in the time machine, and he regretted not answering his phone that fateful night most of all. Now he was left with nothing and it sunk into him deeper than the cold that he felt in his bones. Dirk was gone. Now he would be gone too.

The first few tear drops he didn’t feel. It wasn’t until the trail they left on his cheek started to warm his skin did he notice he was crying. He didn’t bother to stop though; it seemed like the most natural thing to do. Crying in the rain only reminded himself of Dirk’s funeral and that didn’t help anything. He hadn’t felt this empty since the first night he had to sleep with the terrible news. It wasn’t a surprise that Jake hadn’t responded when someone grabbed his shoulder.

He didn’t register that someone was talking to him, nor did he notice or care that the rain had stopped falling on him. “Oh my god…shit you are soaked through.” A voice said worriedly. “You’re freezing…didn’t I tell you to sleep under something? What were you thinking?” He didn’t really protest when the same voice and hand started leading him away from where he was frozen in place. “Don’t die on me ok?”

Somewhere around ten minutes into his zombie shuffle Jake started to regain some sense of self. He found that his wet jacket had been removed and a dry one placed over his shoulders, there was a firm hand on his back guiding him along the sidewalk, and an umbrella had been placed over his head. When he looked over he saw that it was Dirk walking beside him with a very worried expression set on his face. “How did you…when…where am I?”

Dirk’s orange eyes quickly focused on Jake’s face, “You’re saying stuff, good. You were standing alone in the rain crying, I found you about fifteen minutes ago, and we’re about halfway to my house.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“What do you have to apologize for?”

“Sorry I ran off. Sorry I hid and I’m sorry I’m causing you so much trouble.” He noticed that the front of Dirk’s shirt was wet, suggesting that he ran for some distance against the rain. “Why’d you…”

“Come looking? You had no money…and it was raining pretty hard. It just didn’t sit well with me.” He looked Jake over another time. “I’m glad I did come though, I highly doubt you would have lasted the whole night. Hypothermia sets in quickly with these cold temperatures and rain.”

“Thanks,” Jake mumbled.

Dirk laughed nervously, “Just don’t run away this time.”

They made slow progress back to Dirk’s house. The storm never stopped in its intensity. When they reached the steps Dirk pressed the buzzer on the door and an electronic voice greeted him, “Welcome to the household of Dirk Strider. He is not here right now, I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience.”

He held the button down even when the voice had stopped talking, “Sawtooth, this is Dirk. Hella Jeff one.”

“Security pass one cleared, welcome home Mr. Strider.”

Dirk pushed the door open and said, “Sawtooth, turn on lights and unlock my door.” He moved Jake upstairs quickly and led him to his room. “Jake I want you to take these clothes and take a hot shower, don’t worry about using too much water, I have an industrial sized tank and enough money to heat it for the next millennia.” Jake just looked confused, “I like my showers, what can I say?”

Jake was then brought to a tiled room with an old-claw foot bathtub along the wall. Then he was left alone in the room where he stood shivering slightly. He shrugged off his clothes and walked over to the tub, it seemed simple enough, take a shower, rest up and be on his way. But when the warm water started trickling down his back Jake knew that somehow he was trapped here. At the very least, he wasn’t in danger of freezing to death by morning.

Dirk’s clothes fit him pretty well, about as well as his own Dirk’s did. Like his former friend this man was thinner and slightly taller than Jake was. But the clothes fit, they were loose obviously meant for sleeping in, and they were soft and seemed to trap the heat of the shower. He gave himself a once over in the fogged mirror before stepping out and heading back to Dirk’s room.

The stranger was sitting on a chair reading a book; he looked up upon Jake’s approach. “Feeling better?”

“Yes, very much so. Thank you for allowing me the use of your shower.”

“It was no problem,” Dirk said closing the book. “Now, I want a chance to talk with you. Are you alright enough for that?”

“Yes, quite so.”

“Splendid. Now, I’d like to start off with an apology.”

“Apology? I don’t follow.”

Dirk shook his head, “Of course not. I’m apologizing for my past behaviors. I came on much too strong.”

“You can say that again,” Jake muttered.

“Now,” Dirk said his eyes trained solely on Jake’s, “I was quite rude before, and I treated you as a prize to be won, like a game of cards. That wasn’t right. I’m not going to lie Jake English, I still find you fascinating and I know there has got to be more to you than meets the eye. I’d like a chance to get to know you. However, I completely understand if after tonight you would like to go it alone and make something of yourself without my help.”

Dirk stood up and showed Jake to a spare bedroom, “Everything I do tonight is simply out of sympathy. No strings attached and you can leave and never see me again.”

“I see…” Jake put a hand on the guest bed, it was perfectly made but felt like it hadn’t been used in ages. “Does your offer of shelter extend to dinner too?”

Dirk grinned, “Of course, what kind of host would I be if the kitchen was not open?” He turned and headed down the stairs. Jake was correct in his earlier assumption that the hallway beside the main staircase led to a back room that could be the kitchen. “Sorry,” he apologized while opening a refrigerator that Jake could have sworn was in the wrong time period.

“Excuse me, Dirk, uh that is a mighty fine cooling machine you have there.”

Strider turned to look at Jake’s widening eyes, then back at his refrigerator, “Oh right, you’re a country boy. Did you have a refrigerator back home?”

Jake eyed the floor nervously and shifted his weight to another foot, “Well, yeah, I mean, we did. It was tiny though, and not like this.”

He got a smirk in return, “Well, I have access to funds greater than your family probably had, not to boast. But I also found the recent models severely lacking in their performance. What you see here can’t be bought, I practically made it myself.”

“What the hell do you do for a living?” He hadn’t meant to ask that question out loud.

“I’m an electrician,” Dirk replied without missing a beat. “You like omelets right? That’s easy to make and should sit well with your stomach.”

“Y-Yes I do, but why give a damn about my stomach?”

“Well, for starters you spent hours in the cold and rain, you might be coming down with something. I’ll see if we have any medication upstairs, second you’ve only had cakes and coffee today unless you found something in the trash.” He paused and looked back at Jake, “You didn’t find anything in the trash did you?”

“No, I’m not that desperate.”

“Well I don’t want to overdo it by serving some grand meal, so a simple omelet will do, unless you just want the eggs, not as showy, but they’ll do.”

Jake took a seat at one of the small tables, “Anything’s fine, thanks.” He rested his head on his hand, “Just no peanuts, I’m deathly allergic to those.”

“Thanks for telling me your grand weakness English,” Dirk laughed.

“Yeah…” Jake kept thinking about all the crazy out of place stuff in Dirk’s house, he was beginning to feel like maybe he wasn’t the strangest thing within these walls. “So…electrician?” Dirk nodded. “Is that why you have fancy electric stuff all over?”

“You got it,” Dirk turned off the burner and set a plate down in front of Jake. “I don’t often have guests over, sorry if my cooking is a bit rusty.”

“It’s no problem, I was just…admiring your house,” Jake took a few bites; delighted he hadn’t fallen over dead.

“You don’t know much about me Jake, which honestly I find a bit surprising, but if you stay here…well you’ll learn a lot more.” Dirk seemed to stare off into the distance, “There are a lot of strange things in this world Jake. And there are also many wondrous things as well. Both in nature, and in man.”

Jake chuckled a bit, “And you said I was the interesting one.”

After the late night meal Dirk accompanied Jake back up to the guest room. “I do truly hope you stay here English, but I shall leave you now to your thoughts. Good night.”

“Oh, uh, good night.” And with that, Jake was alone once more. He spotted his bag lying next to the bed, “Dirk must have brought it in,” he thought as he sat down on the bed and opened it. The bag itself was wet, but the contents inside were still dry. “Thank god,” Jake said under his breath. He pulled out the journal and thumbed through the pages, none of them were damaged. Next he took out his phone and checked it over too. He was satisfied that everything was safe and decided that his brain needed time to process everything that had just happened.

He reached for the bedside lamp and reflected on the day. Outside the storm still raged on, lightning lit up the room, but Jake was running out of such energy. Alone in a strange new place he fell asleep, still questioning what tomorrow would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be a Valentines Day present for Kevin, but...I didn't finish it in time, anyways, here's chapter two of Through Time!
> 
> Now, we finally meet the Dirk of this era, he's quite a character, is he not? And we also see some other familiar faces, I wonder who else will make a guest appearance. haha.
> 
> I'd like to know people's honest opinions of this story, I'm putting a lot of work and energy into this story and I'd like it to be the best of the best. Let me know what you think in the comments below.


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